Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the common objective is that green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment. Below, Sara Neff explain to us which are the 4 mistakes common when pitching building efficiency.

The seniors are the people the most sensitive to the wasting of energy due to the fact that they stay at their home most of the time. Thus, they need to watch their energy consumption.

Below, a little video realized by Maxwell Haynes about senior citizens’ commitment in the green economy. The purpose of this video it’s to “improving senior citizens knowledge of saving energy, energy efficiency and the technologies which can help them to produce energy”.

“Let’s see Green” by Maxwell Haynes

Next time, we’ll see more about raising people’s awareness and behavioral sciences.

We have already talked about Energy Audits. But nowadays, an another form of audit is developing : The Virtual Energy Audits. Below, Hugh Gaasch and Chris Muth explain to us what are the differences between this two forms of Energy Audits.

Hugh Gaasch and Chris Muth: May 15, 2013

There’s been an interesting discussion recently about data analytics and software solutions that aim to improve the building energy-efficiency evaluation process. At the heart of this debate is what can be learned about a building without ever going on-site versus what can be gleaned from a traditional energy audit.

An energy audit is an inspection, survey and analysis of energy flows for energy conservation in a building, process or system to reduce the amount of energy. In commercial and industrial real estate, an energy audit is the first step in identifying opportunities to reduce energy expense and carbon footprints. More and more companies begin to make audits as specialized Deepki, a start-up specialized in the data analysis.

Here is a short video of Michael Thomas, sharing what is underlying an energy audit. What a world-record short-time video clip. 🙂

We’ve already seen what’s the UK Green Deal framework, how it works and it can help firms in UK to sell more. This time, let’s continue our Worldwide Energy Efficiency frameworks tour with a US one: “PACE”.

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a way to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades to buildings that has emerged in the United States. PACE repayments appear as an additional line on a building’s property tax bill. The debt is attached to the property rather than the property owner and is repaid by the beneficiary or the building improvement.

One very efficient way to attract your potential client’s attention is to be closed to her concerns. For some of them, worldwide Energy and Climate issues, and the way they can help improve through their firm, is an important topic. As a consequence, your sales teams need to know the main figures and facts related to these issues.

Moreover, even for a priori non-interested potential client’s, Energy and Climate insights are a useful tool to introduce a sales meeting. Indeed, nobody will refuse to talk about climate change or energy depletion!

They have nothing to sell, and yet they use interesting marketing tools to promote energy savings. Here is a good-to-see video clip the EU Commission provided to raise awareness amongst households and offices. The 3.5-minute story starts with a family which is carelessly and unknowingly wasting energy from the moment they wake up. Until something unexpectively happens…

EU Commission

We’ll see later on other useful and good tools firms can use to raise awareness.

Historically, our economy focused on extracting raw materials (gold, wood, cow and so on). Willing to transform these raw materials for some end-use purposes (luxury, transport, feed and so on), firms started selling goods as more or less differentiated products (jewels, boats, steak and so on). Then, firms move to services (fit jewels and clothes, offer mobility, serve hamburger in your favourite fast-food restaurant and so on). The natural evolution is to provide experience to end consumers (feeling pretty, enjoying a nice trip in a train where you can dance like in a club, enjoying tasty food in a very practical environment).

Reducing the amount of energy consumed every day is Europe’s biggest energy resource. It is cheaper, protects our environment and favours competitiveness. EU Commission provided an educational – even if a little bit institutional – video clip giving a less-than-5-min overview of the European Union’s energy efficiency objectives (3×20) and shows how each of us can make the difference, be it in our professional or private life. Enjoy it!

EU

We’ll see later on what kind of tools EU already provides you (for free.

Citing Jesse BERST, “utilities could get sucked into the smart appliances trap just as several of them fell for the in-home display idea. It doesn’t make sense for utilities to subsidize products that consumers don’t want. And consumers don’t want smart appliances.” Indeed, everybody talk about smart stuff, dozens of startups try to break into the smart home market, and no smash hit is coming. Why?

As Beth BUCZYNSKI said, “are smart appliances worth the big investment?” It seems that the industry hasn’t yet provided a killer app everybody would be happy to pay to have it.

Often some myths, like economy of functionality or circular economy, can let think that their implementation is easy. The Devil’s in the details! It’s not that easy. Let’s see in this short video what role plays energy in circular economy.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Jean-Marc JANCOVICI is one of France’s most prominent energy and carbon experts, and co-founder of the Carbone 4 consultancy, which provides strategic counselling on energy-related matters. He played a key role in the build-up to the French “Grenelle of Environnement”, a national conference bringing together the government, local authorities, trade unions, business and voluntary sectors to draw up a plan of action of concrete measures. He is a guest lecturer at ParisTech Mines (engineering school) and the author of several books.

One of the key variables in an Energy Efficiency project, with the discount rate, is energy prices and their evolution through the time. Quite profitable Energy Efficiency projects have usually a few-year payback time. You may want to choose a not too bad ballpark value in order to make your project secured in the long run. Let’s not read in a crystal ball, but try to understand the main determinants, which influence energy prices.

Pushed by European Union regulation (such as EED, 2012/27/EU), Member States have to achieve some Energy Efficiency targets and requirements (followed through NEEAPs). Whatever the Member State you want to sell your Energy Efficiency solutions into, you may want to be supported through some facilitating regulations, incentives or subsidies.

To ensure your lobbying action to be impactful and get it ready, get through the 13following questions:

Needless to say that unemployment is a key issue for EU Member States. Does your Energy Efficiency solution create non-relocatable jobs? Is it a labour-intensive solutions?